Carrier bags and handles for use therewith



Aug. 15, 1967 F. GATWARD 3,335,941

CARRIER BAGS AND HANDLES FOR USE THEREWITH 7 Filed April 8, 1965 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Harry giwc/arick Graham-J imz/ Maw 11 TTORNEYSCARRIER BAGS AND HANDLES FOR usn THEREWITH Filed April 8, 1965 Aug. 15,1967 H. F. GATWARD 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m M a 0 aw cw Um Y F L f M I HUnited States Patent 3,335,941 CARRIER BAGS AND HANDLES FOR USETHEREWITH Harry Frederick Gatward, London, England, assignor to ColorollLimited, London, England, a British company Filed Apr. 8, 1965, Ser. No.446,521

Claims priority, application Great Britain, Apr. 20, 1964,

16,208/ 64 2 Claims. (Cl. 229-54) This inventionrelates to carrier bagsand handles for use therewith, such bags being constructed from paper orsimilar comparatively thin material, the bag handles being formedseparately and being adhesively secured to the bag. The handles usedhitherto were usually constructed from string, paper, sisal or similarmaterial and were not particularly satisfactory in use as they did notprovide a comfortable hand grip and their attachment to the bag was notat all secure when the bag was loaded with provisions or othercomparatively heavy articles.

It is proposed in carrying out the present invention to utilize handleswhich are moulded from a thermoplastic-synthetic resin composition suchas polythene, such handles being very strong and affording a comfortablehand grip in use when the bag is loaded.

The problem with which the present invention is concerned is the secureattachment of the handles at their ends to the bag particularly if thebag is constructed from a cellulosic material such as paper, andensuring that the bag itself is sufiiciently strong adjacent the mouthto take the load.

Although it is within the scope of the invention to secure each handledirect to the bag it is preferred to connect the handle to the bagthrough the medium of a patch which is itself secured to the bag, thepatch in addition to providing a more secure base for the attachment ofthe handle also serving to stiffen and strengthen the bag adjacent themouth.

A carrier bag in accordance with the present invention has a handle ofloop like form and moulded or extruded from a thermo-plastics material,the ends of the handle being heat fixed either directly to the bag or toa patch which is itself secured to the bag.

If a patch is employed it is preferably formed of two pieces of paper,the ends of the handle being sandwiched therebetween, the ends of thehandle being heat fixed to the parts of the patch, the inner faces ofthe parts of the patch being preferably coated with a thermo-plasticmaterial over their inner faces, the thermo-plastic coating having anafiinity for the material forming the handles whereby the application ofheat will effectively Weld the ends of each handle to the parts of itsassociated patch and secure the exposed faces of the patch partstogether in facial engagement.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a carrier bag fitted withhandles in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a similar view but on an enlarged scale showing the methodof attachment of a handle to a bag; and

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of a carrier bag fitted withan alternative construction of handle;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary perspective view showing how the handlesinterlock to close the mouth of the bag.

Although the ends of each handle may be heat fixed directly to the bagit is preferred that they shall be secured to a patch Which issubsequently secured to the bag, the patch giving greater security forthe handle attachment and greater strength and stiffness where it ismost needed, namely at the mouth. The patch may 3,335,941 Patented Aug.15, 1967 extend across the whole or only partly across the width of thebag.

As will be seen clearly from the accompanying drawings the upper edge 1of the carrier bag 2 is turned downwardly and inwardly to strengthen thebag along its marginal edge adjacent the mouth. The bag is slit alongthe fold line at 3 over a length sufiicient to permit the handle 4 to beinserted in an upward direction after the handle has been secured to thecomposite patch.

Although the parts 5 and 6 of the composite patch may be formed fromordinary paper it is preferred to employ a paper which has been coatedon one side with polythene, the polythene coated faces 7 and 8 lyingface to face with the ends of the handle lying therebetween.

It is preferred to construct the handles 4 from a thermoplastic materialsuch as polythene and to heat fix the ends of the handles to thepolythene coated faces of the parts of the patch, and the exposed facesof the parts of the patch together.

The patch and its associated handle can then be adhesively secured tothe inside or outside surface of the bag or may be heat fixed thereto ifthe bag and outer surface of the patch has been specially treated as,for example coated with polythene and in the case of the bag illustratedin which the upper edge of the bag is turned inwardly and downward andslit along the crease line to allow the handle to be passed upwardlythrough the slit, the patch will be secured to the inner surfaces of thebag and the downwardly turned upper edge, leaving the handle projectingupwardly through the slit.

Although as previously stated the handles may be constructed from anysuitable material it is preferred to construct them from polythene orsimilar thermoplastic material, the handles being of parallel sidedribbon-like form of flat or slightly curved cross-sectional shape or ofthe special cross-sectional shape shown in FIGURES 3 and 4.

The handles shown fitted to the bag in FIGURES 3 and 4 are intended tointerlock when brought together to hold the mouth of the bag closed. Thehandles are of identical cross-sectional shape and are extruded to forma lateral projection 9 and recess 10 extending throughout their length.The thermo-plastic material forming the handles has sufficientresilience to enable the projection on one handle to be easily pressedinto the recess in the other handle, the projection and recess having acrosssectional shape approximating to a little more than half thecircumference of a circle so that the parts interlock. Alternatively theparts may be of any other suitable form in which the projection has adovetail or equivalent form which when sprung into the correspondinglyshaped recess will interlock therewith.

The preferred method of heat fixing the ends of the handle to the patchmakes use of a heat sink whereby heat generated in the plastic handlematerial adjacent the cellulosic material comprising the patch or bagcan quickly escape before damaging the handle material, bonding beingeffected by the application of heat with or without pressure to thecellulosic material with the handle in contact therewith and at atemperature in excess of that required to melt the surface of the handlematerial adjacent the cellulosic material to allow for the temperaturedrop through the cellulosic material during the bonding process.

I claim:

1. A carrier bag handle assembly for attachment to a paper bag, saidassembly comprising a handle member of a substantially loop-like shapeformed from a thermoplastic material, and a composite paper patchadapted to be secured to said bag, said patch having two opposed innersurfaces coated with a thermo-plastic material, the ends of said handlemember being sandwiched between and heat fixed to said inner surfaces,the exposed faces of said inner surfaces being heat fixed together, saidhandle member being characterized by substantially uniform strengththroughout the entire length between said ends.

2. A carrier bag comprising a pair of handle members, each being of asubstantially loop-like shape formed from a thermo-plastic material; apaper bag member having upper edges turned inwardly and downwardly andslit along the crease lines for passage of said handle memberstherethrough, a pair of composite paper patches each secured between aninner surface of said bag and the outer surface of a correspondingdownwardly turned upper edge thereof, each of said patches having twoopposed inner surfaces coated with a thermo-plastic material, the endsof each of said handle members being sandwiched between and heat fixedto the inner surfaces of a corresponding patch, the exposed faces of theinner surfaces of each of said patches being heat fixed together, saidhandle member being characterized by substantially uniform strengththroughout the entire length between said ends.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,520,071 12/1924 Nestor 2295 41,751,473 3/ 1930 Deubener 22954 1,910,449 5/1933 Rose 229-54 2,035,6743/ 1936 Sipe. 2,273,442 2/ 1942 Hedu 190--57 2,980,312 4/ 1961 Gould229--54 3,070,277 12/ 1962 Moore 229-48 X 3,140,038 7/1964 Laguerre22954 3,156,166 11/1964 Davis 229--54 X FOREIGN PATENTS 628,831 6/ 1963Belgium. 1,290,916 3/1962 France. 1,324,366 3/1963 France.

660,718 11 195 1 Great Britain.

I OSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

DAVIS T. MOORHEAD, Examiner.

1. A CARRIER BAG HANDLE ASSEMBLY FOR ATTACHMENT TO A PAPER BAG, SAIDASSEMBLY COMPRISING A HANDLE MEMBER OF A SUBSTANTIALLY LOOP-LIKE SHAPEFORMED FROM A THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL, AND A COMPOSITE PAPER PATCHADAPTED TO BE SECURED TO SAID BAG, SAID PATCH HAVING TWO OPPOSED INNERSURFACES COATED WITH A THERMO-PLASTIC MATERIAL, THE ENDS OF SAID HANDLEMEMBER BEING SANDWICHED BETWEEN AND HEAT FIXED TO SAID INNER SURFACES,THE EXPOSED FACES OF SAID INNER SURFACES BEING HEAT FIXED TOGETHER, SAIDHANDLE MEMBER BEING CHARACTERIZED BY SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM STRENGTHTHROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE LENGTH BETWEEN SAID ENDS.